Homemade pumpkin pie filling will save you time right now

Homemade pumpkin pie filling is here to save you time in your Fall baking; filled with the cozy flavors of chai spice blend (or pumpkin pie spice), rich custard, and a little bit of whiskey to tie everything together, this will knock every other pumpkin pie filling out of the water.

Unlike canned pumpkin pie mix homemade pumpkin pie filling, you can control all the delicious things that go into your awesome pumpkin filling. You can play around with the spices, you can change up your milk if you have someone who needs dairy-free.

I love the idea of this recipe because I don’t always want to measure out tiny bits of pumpkin from a can for things like pumpkin hand pies or pumpkin brownies. Having the filling on hand means I measure straight from the jar without having to measure microscopic amounts of ingredients for pumpkin recipes that wouldn’t use up a whole recipe’s worth of filling.

The best thing is that if you have any extra leftover, you can make some fast pumpkin French toast or use it as a base for pancakes. You’re welcome.

Crack a can of Libby’s, and you’re 1 minute away from a surprisingly versatile recipe.

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Homemade Pumpkin Pie Filling

Why you’ll love having pumpkin pie filling on hand

1. Convenience: When I’m making pumpkin things I don’t want to have half-used cans of pumpkin all over the place. Having the filling ready to go means I can make a bunch of pumpkin things without remeasuring anything. It’s not just easy, it saves me from wasting pumpkin.
2. Controlling ingredients: I like to flavor things and control the quality of the ingredients. Both of these things you can’t really do with canned pumpkin pie filling. That’s why recipes for pumpkin pie always tell you to use 100% pure pumpkin. Libby’s pumpkin pie mix has dextrose and “natural flavors.” Who even knows what you’re getting there or in what quantity. Use real ingredients you put together yourself, and you’ll always know.!
3. So easy: whisk and go. This is literally a 1 minute recipe.

The eternal debate: fresh vs canned pumpkin

I’ve made my share of pies with fresh roasted pumpkin. As delicious as they are, canned pumpkin has the edge over fresh pumpkin. There’s really 3 main reasons for this:

1. Convenient: It’s so much simpler to use a can. Canned pumpkin is a quality ingredient made with just pumpkin, so there’s little to object to.
2. Consistent: Canned pumpkin always has a consistent moisture content and texture, so you never have to guess at how loose or how set your pumpkin will bake up. Fresh pumpkins can often be watery, making for a potentially watery filling.
3. Reliable: Canned pumpkin has a very reliable taste to it. Maybe that’s boring to you (sometimes it is for me), but it’s kind of comforting knowing what you’re going to get. When holiday baking madness hits around the 3rd week in November, the last thing you want to be doing is rushing around roasting off a pumpkin that went a little off post Halloween. Save the headache!

Butternut squash for the win: If for some reason you want to make a pie with fresh filling, I suggest roasting a butternut squash instead. Butternut squashes tend to have a lower moisture content that’s similar to canned pumpkin. Simply poke holes in your squash with a fork and roast it in a 350F oven for 40-45 minutes until you can insert a knife easily into it. After that, cut open the squash, scoop out the seeds, and scoop the flesh into a food processor to blend into a smooth puree. Treat it like canned pumpkin from here.

Other things you can make with pumpkin pie filling besides pumpkin pie

• pumpkin pancakes
• pumpkin French toast
• Applesauce granola: replace the applesauce with the filling
• Pumpkin creamer: take out the eggs and the sugar if you’d like.
• Mini pumpkin pies
• Pumpkin hand pies
• Pumpkin brownies

You’ll probably think of more ways to use it too. Like all of my Baking Building Blocks recipes, make one thing, and you’ll inevitably have what you need to make 19 different things.

Simple ways to adjust your flavors in your pumpkin filling

1. Use different spices: as I said, there’s almost no wrong choices here. A blend of cinnamon and nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, chai spice blend, or packaged gingerbread spice would all be good choices.
2. Change up your flavoring: I call for whiskey in my version as I like how it blends all the flavors together. Rum, Amaretto, Frangelico, or an anise liqueur would also be good as would be plain vanilla or almond extract. You only learn what you like by experimenting!
3. Make it less or more sweet: were I making pumpkin creamer, I’d take out all the sugar as I don’t like sugar in my coffee. On the flip side, you might like your filling a little sweeter than me. Taste it and adjust accordingly.
4. Change up your milk: I almost always make this filling with coconut milk, but it’s equally good with heavy cream, half & half, or even that evaporated milk that’s been hanging out in your pantry. Use what you have and use what you like/what you need for dietary considerations.

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